A 3-year-old boy was found wandering on Interstate-75 last week after he managed to get out of his house in the middle of the night.

According to Sgt. Robert Reed of the Williamstown Police Department, the child was left home with his 16-year-old sister while his father went to pick up his mother from work due to the road conditions on Feb. 3.

“Both were asleep when the father left, so there was nothing out of the ordinary,” Reed said.

Police estimate the child was outside 40 to 45 minutes.

The boy was found near the 156-mile marker around 2:30 a.m. by a passing motorist who called 911.

He was wearing only a T-shirt, jogging pants and no shoes.

Reed estimate he walked over a mile and a half in the snow, down a steep embankment, before he wandered onto I-75.

He was taken to the St. Elizabeth-Grant County where he was treated for swollen feet, but he was later released to his parents.

Not knowing where the toddler came from, police tracked his footprints back through the snow when they ran into his father who was frantically searching for him after he returned home and realized he wasn’t inside, Reed said.

“He’s one very lucky little guy,” Reed said. “This was pretty sobering that it could happen to anyone. It could have been really bad, but it worked out as the best case scenario.”

Reed said no charges were filed because no crime was committed.

Also assisting at the scene were Trooper Josh Whitton, Deputy Kevin Burke and Rural Metro Ambulance.

DID YOU KNOW?
Three-year-old wanders 1.5 miles from home at 2:30 a.m. with no shoes or coat.